2 new infections tied to steroid shots

Illinois health officials say they’re investigating two additional reports of patients developing abscesses after receiving potentially contaminated steroid injections at a downstate clinic.

The Illinois Department of Public Health said Friday the additional patients — like the earlier cases — received injections at the Logan Primary Care clinic in Herrin.

Last week, the state health department announced five patients developed similar infections after the injections.

The steroid is methylprednisolone acetate and was produced by a compounding pharmacy in Tennessee. The pharmacy has voluntarily recalled all its sterile products.

The steroid is the same drug at the center of last year’s deadly outbreak of fungal meningitis, caused by contaminated injections from a Massachusetts compounding pharmacy.

Health officials say no cases of meningitis have been reported.